It’s Tuesday, January 27, 2026, and if you’re planning a last-minute dash to the mountains for that “picturesque snowfall,” you might want to read Bharat Sharma’s story first. He just spent 40 hours living inside a car.
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What started as a Republic Day long weekend trip to Manali turned into a full-blown survival situation. Or nothing.
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The Manali Trap: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the “dream holiday” met the reality of zero infrastructure and bad lane discipline. Here’s the ground reality of Bharat’s ordeal:
The 40-Hour Crawl: Bharat and his friends left Solang Valley on Jan 23. They reached the outskirts of Manali (just 2km from Mall Road) by 2 PM. They didn’t move for the next 24 hours. By the time they hit Delhi, they had spent nearly two days inside the vehicle. The car was moving 10 meters an hour. Let’s be real—you could walk faster with a broken leg. Those too.
The “No Help” Zone: When things got bad, the group called the police. The advice? “Abandon your car and walk to a hotel.” But here’s the kicker: hotels were reportedly hiking prices to ₹15,000–₹17,000 per night. Some even refused to let stranded tourists use their washrooms. No food, no water, no toilets. Or nothing.
The Lane Discipline Crisis: Bharat pointed out that the jam wasn’t just the snow—it was the people. Tourists were breaking lanes on narrow mountain roads, creating a “gridlock” where neither side could move. And here’s the kicker: once one car skids on the ice, the whole 15km line stops. Those too.
The Viral Reality: Social media is flooded with videos of people abandoning their cars and dragging suitcases over icy roads at 2 AM. It’s an ongoing situation where the “winter wonderland” looks more like an evacuation zone.
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The Manali Survival Stats (Jan 23-26, 2026)
| Metric | The Nightmare Stats |
| Longest Jam | 15 km (from 15 Mile to Manali town). |
| Wait Time | 24+ hours for many stuck in sub-zero temps. |
| Hotel Price Hike | 500%+ (Standard rooms going for ₹15k+). |
| Road Closures | 1,250+ roads shut across Himachal today. |
| Visibility | Near zero during the peak of the Western Disturbance. |
And Here’s the Kicker…
The weather isn’t done with us. The IMD has an Orange Alert active for today (Jan 27) for Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti. While Bharat finally made it back to Delhi, thousands are still stuck. The thing is, another Western Disturbance is expected on January 30. If you’re heading up there now, you aren’t “chasing snow”—you’re chasing a 40-hour traffic jam. Those too.
One side comment—if you do find yourself stuck, keep your fuel tank full. Running the heater for 24 hours in a jam can drain your tank before the road even opens. Or nothing.
Also Read |Tamil Nadu Voter List Purge: 97 Lakh Names Deleted in SIR Phase 1
End…
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